


Take Care of You

by davecabbage



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Chuck Lives, Chuck is a stubborn asshole, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-23
Updated: 2015-02-23
Packaged: 2018-03-14 19:23:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3422732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/davecabbage/pseuds/davecabbage
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chuck is a stubborn asshole who won't accept help from others, even when he's sick.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Take Care of You

**Author's Note:**

> A little quickie I wrote for tumblr user pandajelo who's been feeling under the weather~

Everyone who knew Chuck knew that he was a stubborn asshole; the kind of guy who doesn’t back down from a challenge or let the overwhelming odds deter him. Herc often joked that it was because he was such a stubborn little shit that even setting off a nuke at the bottom of the ocean couldn’t kill him. His bull-headedness had served him well in the past. Most of the time. It was a major asset in kicking kaiju ass at least. But as with everything excess can prove to be an even bigger bane.

Chuck had caught a particularly nasty bug three days ago but rather than take it easy and rest he had continued to work in the jaeger bay. He and Mako had been charged with overseeing the restoration project of the old jaegers salvaged from Oblivion Bay. He hadn’t stopped since the project started and now he was letting himself get worse and worse.

Raleigh had taken it upon himself to take care of Chuck when it was clear that he and no one else was going to.

“Can’t you order him to rest or something?” Raleigh asked Herc over breakfast on the fourth day of Chuck’s illness. “You’re marshal now after all.”

“I could, but do you really think he’d listen to me?” Herc stabbed at a sausage with his fork. “You think this is the first time he’s done this?”

“He is too stubborn for his own good.” Mako added after taking a sip of her tea. “I have tried to suggest that he take a break but he has refused.”

“Force is always an option…” Raleigh mused.

Herc snorted. “Be my guest. Let me know how that goes.”

“Shouldn’t you be more of a concerned parent right now?”

“Chuck will take care of himself when he needs to.” Herc rose from his seat and turned back to Raleigh before he left. “He’s a stubborn little shit, but he knows when to give in.”

The problem with Chuck was that he didn’t let on just how sick he really was. Like an animal in the wild he had done his best to mask any signs of vulnerability. It was as if showing any indication of weakness would somehow leave him open and defenceless, but to what Raleigh couldn’t work out. Chuck had nothing to prove to anyone, but clearly he didn’t see it like that.

Raleigh found him exactly where he knew he would be; pouring over blueprints and schematics in the jaeger bay. Except this time Chuck was trying and failing at not getting his germs all over them. He’d just finished coughing and sniffed loudly when Raleigh approached him.

“What are you doing, Chuck?” Raleigh asked with a sigh, knowing full well the answer.

“I’m working, what’s it look like?” Chuck bit back.

“You should be in bed.”

“Since when are you in charge of my schedule?”

“You’re sick.”

“I’m-” Chuck let out a mighty sneeze that echoed throughout the jaeger bay. “Fine.”

“Yeah.” Raleigh folded his arms. “That was convincing.”

“I’ve got a cold, Rah-leigh.” Chuck snapped, emphasising the mispronunciation of his name in his usual attempt to piss him off and push him away. “I’m not dying.”

Raleigh ignored it. He had been for a while now. He wouldn’t admit it, but he kinda liked the way it sounded when Chuck said his name like that.

“You don’t have to push yourself so hard. Not anymore.” Raleigh’s voice softened. “You’re allowed to take it easy.”

Chuck frowned at him in response. “Would you stop mothering me already?”

Raleigh frowned right back. “Someone has to.”

“I’ve wasted enough time in medical already.”

“The jaegers will still be here when you get back.”

“There’s too much to be done. The old man’s still fighting with the bloody UN and the press every day, Mori’s been dragged out of j-tech to keep this whole op from falling apart and I’ve got a shit tonne of broken jaeger pieces to sort through and see what we can actually work with.” Chuck sounded more and more winded as he went on.

“Chuck-”

“I’m not going anywhere and that’s final.”

“You’ve done enough.” Raleigh placed a hand on his shoulder. “Let someone take care of _you_ for once.”

Chuck shrugged him off. “I don’t need anyone to take care of me.”

“It’s okay to rely on others now and again.”

“Look-” Chuck took a stride forward, probably to flick Raleigh in the chest like he usually did when they argued, but a wave of dizziness washed over him and he stumbled forward instead. “Shit.”

Raleigh moved in and caught him. He kept a firm grip on his arm to ensure he couldn’t pull away. He placed his other hand on his forehead. Chuck’s skin was hot and clammy to touch. “You’re burning up.”

“Mmm…” Chuck’s shoulders sagged a little and he had closed his eyes and leant forward a little into Raleigh’s touch. Raleigh kept his hand in place and neither of them said a word; he could hear Chuck’s slightly laboured breathing.

“Let’s get you into bed.”

“Didn’t know you had a fetish for gross sick blokes.” Chuck snickering quickly dissolved into another brief coughing fit.

“You deserved that.” Raleigh sighed and wrapped an arm around Chuck’s waist and began to guide him back towards their room. “Come on.”

“Guess I’m sicker than I thought.” He murmured.

“You think?”

“Suppose I could take a quick nap.”

Raleigh rolled his eyes. “You’re an idiot, you know that?”

“But I’m you’re idiot.”

“Don’t I know it.”

Chuck just hummed in assent and leant his head on Raleigh’s shoulder and let himself be led.

Raleigh managed to get him back to their room without incident – if you considered Chuck stumbling into a wall only twice without incident – and sat him on the edge of their bed while he worked his boots off. Chuck allowed himself to be laid down and tucked in without much fuss.

“You need anything?” Raleigh asked when he’d got Chuck as comfortable as he could.

“Water.”

Raleigh sat on the edge of their bed when he returned from the bathroom a moment later and held the glass to Chuck’s lips. Chuck took a few sips and murmured a thanks and Raleigh placed the glass down on the table. He stroked his fingers through Chuck’s hair. “Anything else?”

“No.” Chuck started but chewed his bottom lip in contemplation. “Can you just…?”

“Hmmm?”

“Stay with me? ‘Till I fall asleep.”

Raleigh smiled softly down at him. “Of course.”

Chuck shimmed over slightly to allow room for Raleigh to lay down beside him. He draped an arm across him and pulled Chuck over so he could nestle his head on his chest.

“Better?”

“Mmm.”

They laid there in the quiet while Raleigh continued to gently brush his fingers though Chuck’s hair in a soothing manner.

“So what did you used to do?” He asked. “When you got sick before?”

“Dosed up on a lot of drugs and got on with it.” Chuck mumbled into his chest.

“Wow.”

Chuck shrugged. “It kept me going when I needed it.”

“Herc didn’t kick your ass about it?”

“He did. I guess. But then he usually caught it from me and he’d be an even bigger stubborn arse about it.”

Raleigh marvelled at the pair of them. He wasn’t surprised in the least at it being a family trait.

“No one’s taken care of me like this in a long time.” Chuck continued, more to himself than Raleigh. “Not since…”

Raleigh hugged him to his chest a little tighter. “Yeah, well get used to it, Hansen. I’m here to stay and take care of your stubborn ass when you won’t take care of it yourself.”

“You love my arse.” Chuck yawned.

Raleigh laughed quietly to himself. “That I do.”

Chuck’s light snoring was his only response.


End file.
